A Man of Honor
by bloomsburry
Summary: One day, Lyanna Stark discovers an unconscious man in the Wolfswood. Not knowing who he is, she takes him back to Winterfell where he is nurse back to health... Steve Rogers can't remember what happened to him, or how he ends up there, but he does remember who he is. He is Captain America, and somehow he has become Lyanna Stark's sworn shield.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"I won't be long, I promise." Lyanna Stark had told her brother Benjen and the guards who accompany them in the Wolfswood.

She parted from the group with the intent to answer the call of nature. That had been her purpose. Lyanna had been looking for a place to do quietly when she stumbled upon a strange man lying on the ground.

She paused, staring in shock at the man, who was wearing an odd-looking and tight-fitting clothing. He had blonde hair and strong masculine features.

"Oh God," Lyanna gasped upon seeing him. She swiftly ran towards the prone figure and knelt beside him. As Maester Walys had taught her, Lyanna searched for a pulse on his neck and found a weak heartbeat. Thereafter, she quickly assessed the extent of the man's injuries and noted the gaping hole on the man's abdomen, which was still bleeding profusely.

She grimaced at the sight of it. Clearly, the man was going to die if Lyanna didn't do something.

Ripping the hem of her skirt, she tried to use the cloth to wound it up around the man's torso, but soon discovered that the man was too heavy for her to even turn him from side to side.

So she called for help.

"Master Casell, come quickly!" She yelled. "There's a man in here that needed tended to!"

Lyanna could hear the sound of running feet and soon enough Benjen, Master Casell and another guard, whose name is Edwyn, arrived at the scene.

The group took the time to survey the situation before Master Cassel asked the most important questions.

"What happened to him?" He asked while he strode foward. "And where did he come from?"

"I don't know." Lyanna answered. "But we need to take him to a Maester now or he will bleed to death. Come here Master Cassel and help me wrap this cloth around him."

Master Cassel did as bid. After wrapping the cloth tightly around the man's wound, Lyanna used her fingers to pry the man's eyelid open, and saw that the man's eye is blue and still shone a light in them.

The man was barely alive and Lyanna understood the direness of the situation.

 _We must take him to Winterfell now!_ She thought in concern.

"Edwyn, bring the horses here!" Lyanna commanded. "We mustn't waste time or this man will die. He needs to be taken to the Maester immediately!"

The youth scrambled away and did as commanded.

"Who do you think he is, Lyanna?" Benjen asked and Lyanna turned to see her brother hovering over her shoulder.

"I don't know." She murmured, looking back at the unconscious man. She brushed a lock of golden hair from the man's forehead while she said, "But he clearly needs help, Benjen."


	2. Chapter 2

Lyanna sat vigil beside the strange man, admiring how his hair seemed to gleam gold as the sunlight slanted from the open window. She gazed upon his sun kissed face; from his finely-arched brows; to his straight, long nose; to his sharp, cheekbones, and down to his sculpted lips and his strong jaw.

She was still admiring the face of the unknown man when Maester Luwin brought her to the present.

"How long are you going to stay here, my lady?" The Maester inquired, watching her closely.

"Until he awakens," came her response before looking back at the Maester. "I would like to be here when he finally wakes."

"But we can not be certain how long will that be, Lady Lyanna." Maester Luwin said, "Judging from his wounds it will probably take half a day for him to wake. I advise that you go see your Lord father first and tell him how you discovered the man. Your father had just arrived from the Dreadfort and by now, he had been probably made aware of this strange man that you have brought to Winterfell."

"Oh, alright, Maester Luwin…I shall go and see my fa-" her words was cut off short when she heard a groan coming from the unconscious man.

Her eyes immediately went back to him and was met with a pair of deep blue eyes gazing back at her.

"You are awake!" She exclaimed, scooting near to the cot that the man was lying down. "How are you feeling?"

The man in turn simply blinked at her, looking quite confused at the sight of her.

"I think you should not startle him so, Lyanna." The Maester advised.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ser." She said to the man, appearing embarrassed. "Did I startle you?"

"No…but, who are you?" the strange man said, his voice sounding deep. He was looking at both at the Maester Luwin and her. "And where am I?"

"My name is Lyanna Stark." She introduced, "I was the one who found you in the forest. We brought you back here to Winterfell since you were badly wounded. We were afraid that you might not make it but thankfully you did. Maester Luwin here tended to most of your wounds as best as he can, but your wounds are rather severe and need time healing on its own."

"I see…" was the man's only response.

Lyanna noted that the man was staring at her and Maester Luwin rather strangely, more specifically at the clothes they were wearing.

"What year am I in now?" the man inquired.

"Year?" She cast a glance at Maester Luwin, who had his brows furrowed in a worried line because of the man's question. "It's 281 years After the Conquest."

"After the Conquest?" the man asked and Lyanna saw the look of alarm that crossed the man's face.

"The Conquest of Loki?" He said, sitting up quickly from the cot that nearly startled Lyanna into falling unto the floor.

"Who'se Loki?" She responded curiously, casting yet another glance at Maester Luwin whose frown had deepened.

However, before the man could reply, the door to the room suddenly opened and in walked Lyanna's father, Lord Rickard Stark, followed by her three brothers; Brandon, Ned and Benjen.

All had a serious look on their faces.

"Who is this man that you have brought to Winterfell, Lyanna?" Her father thundered as he strode into the room.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you for reading! Your reviews fuels my passion for writing so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! If you want to see the aesthetics, story trailer and photoshopped edits that I made for the story please check out my twitter, facebook pinterest, youtube or tumblr account. But you can always contact me on _**twitter, facebook or tumblr** _so please don't be a stranger and let us be friends! Also, 281 AC is the year when the Tourney at Harenhall is about to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

"Who is this man you have brought to our Home, Lyanna?" Her father asked as he drew close to the strange man's cot, followed closely by Lyanna's three brothers.

"Father, you're back!" Lyanna said, standing up from her chair to curtsy to her Lord Father before answering his question. "Oh, I found him in the Wolfswood father. He was badly wounded and so I had him brought to the Castle for Maester Luwin to tend to him. As for his name, I haven't asked him yet."

Lyanna turned back to the blonde-haired man and asked, "May I ask for your name, good Ser?"

The man in turn looked at the people gathered around him warily before he answered, looking at Lyanna's father. "My name is Steve Rogers, Sir."

Lyanna heard him say to her Lord father, referring to him as 'Ser' instead of 'my Lord', which was a great faux pas in polite society. However, her Lord father let is passed.

She also watched when the man extended his hand towards Lyanna's Father as he introduced himself. Her Lord Father looked at the man's hand for a while before reaching out to clasp the other man's hand.

"Steve Rogers, if you don't mind me asking, how did you acquire your wounds?" Lyanna's father asked as he let go of the man's hand.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I really can't remember what happened to me." Steve Rogers replied.

"I see," Lord Rickard said slowly. "Where do you hail from Steve Rogers?"

"I'm from Brooklyn, Sir."

"Brooklyn? I never heard of such a place before."

Lyanna observed when the man suddenly appeared to look wary.

"May I ask what country am I currently in?" The strange man asked.

"Country? What's a country?" Lyanna asked, glancing back at the Maester who look concerned.

However, the man did not reply, instead he continued to stare at all of them rather oddly.

"I believe he probably needs more time to rest, my Lord." Maester Luwin said as he moved forward, looking at Lyanna's father apologetically. "Steve Rogers here hasn't fully recovered yet from his wounds, and must have suffered from head injury as well."

"I see," her Lord father said, looking down at the other man. "Has he eaten yet, Maester Luwin?"

"Not yet, my Lord for he had just woken up."

"Then, I shall ask for someone to bring him some food and drink here." Lyanna's father said. "I'm sure he is famished."

"I'm sure he is, my Lord." Maester Luwin answered.

"Thank you, Sir, for your hospitality." Steve Rogers replied, nodding his head respectfully.

Lord Rickard nodded his head in response before turning his attention towards Lyanna.

"Lyanna, come and I must speak to you outside." Her Lord father commanded and she suddenly feel uneasy for some reason.

She glanced back towards Steve Rogers and said to him, "I will come back and bring you, your supper, Ser Steve." She said, meeting his beautiful blue eyes.

"Thank you, Ma'am Lyanna, for finding me, and for everything you have done to save me." He said to her, giving her a kind smile.

Lyanna flushed without meaning to. She had to admit that she had never seen such a handsome man like him before.

"You are very welcome, Ser." She said, puzzled at the way he addressed her. She didn't understand the word of 'Ma'am' and what it meant.

"Lyanna," her Lord father called and she turned around to see her father standing at the door while her brothers have come forward. Brandon was carrying something that appeared to be a red and blue shield with a star in the middle on it, and Lyanna wondered where he got it from. However, she didn't have time to ask her brother for she was already moving towards the door.

As she was leaving, she heard Steve Rogers say out loud to her brothers.

"That's my shield."

Then, she heard her brother Brandon replied, "Aye, we found it in the Wolfswood, a day after Lyanna found you." She heard her brother say before she closed the door behind her.

Once outside the room, Lyanna faced her father who looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Lyanna," Her father began. "Tell me the reason why you weren't there to greet me upon my arrival at the gate?"

"I am sorry that I wasn't there, father." Lyanna said, "For I was here waiting for the man to wake."

"That's not what I want to hear from you, Lyanna, and you know it." Her Lord father say coldly.

Lyanna bit her lower lip, not knowing what else to say to her father.

"I notice you staring at the man, Lyanna." Her Lord Father noted out loud.

At once, Lyanna froze at her father's words.

"Might I remind you of your betrothal to Lord Robert Baratheon?"

"Of course, how can I ever forget about _that_?" She asked.

"Then, I ask that you remain true by Lord Robert, Lyanna, and it means not staring at other men when he is not present."

Lyanna simply nodded her head and said in a resigned voice, "Of course, father."

"Well, since the matter is settled," her Lord father say. "Anything else that you might want to tell me regarding the man?"

"No, father…there's nothing else to say."

"If there's nothing else, then you may go."

"Thank you, father." Lyanna said, curtsying low.

"And Lyanna?"

She turned around to her father once more.

"Ask someone to fetch the man his food and drink." He said to her, fixing Lyanna with a hard stare. "I don't want you doing it, because you are not a servant."

Lyanna bit the insides of her cheek to stop herself from replying back to her father. Instead she said meekly, "Yes, father."

"Good."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thank you for reading! Your reviews fuels my passion for writing so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! If you want to see the aesthetics, story trailer and photoshopped edits that I made for the story please check out my twitter, pinterest, youtube or tumblr account. But you can always contact me on twitter, facebook or tumblr so please don't be a stranger and let us be friends!


	4. Chapter 4

It's been three days since Lyanna Stark last saw and talked to Steve Rogers. Lyanna's father had specifically ordered her not to visit the man and Lyanna understood why her father had said that. Her Lord father was probably wary of Lyanna being around a strange man with unknown allegiance. So Lyanna was forced to stop seeing him, despite her feelings on the matter. She felt like she was neglecting her responsibilities somehow. After all, she was the one who found Steve Rogers, and she felt more than responsible to see the man taken care of to the best of her knowledge.

She knew that the strange man was recovering, and apparently he recovered fast as the Maester had noted, and so the next few days, Lyanna saw him walking with her little brother Benjen who was clearly giving the strange man a tour of the Winterfell Castle. She also learned from her brother later that the Maester was teaching the man proper etiquette and everything he needs to know about Westeros.

" _He doesn't know how to properly address people who are above his station, Lya."_ Benjen had told her the other day. _"He said he has different upbringing, and that he comes from a different Kingdom. That's the reason why he wanted to learn more about the Westerosi custom of greeting and everything else."_

Lyanna was tempted to offer herself as the man's teacher just to know more about him. However, she knew her father would certainly disapprove if she did so. Thus, Lyanna contented herself by watching the man from afar while he recovered.

.

' _I'm from Brooklyn,'_ the man had said and Lyanna wondered where that place was. She tried searching it in the Winterfell library but couldn't find a place named Brooklyn in the books.

 _How curious..._ Lyanna thought. What's more curious was the clothes the man had been wearing when she discovered him. Lyanna had already gotten the man's clothes from the wash but she had yet to return them to him.

The clothes had been made from an odd fabric, and seemed to be durable than any clothe Lyanna had encountered. The feel of the cloth and the style was different too and must be very expensive from what the servant maids have remarked.

" _He must be a lordling from another Kingdom, my lady."_ Anna the washerwoman had said to her. _"The clothe is nothing that I have never seen or wash before. Only a lordling could afford of such material made from a hide of a certain animal. And the dye on the clothe? Very expensive. It must have cause quite a fortune, my lady, to put all those beautiful colors on the cloth…The strange man must be a very rich Lord, indeed."_

While the man didn't have his clothes yet, Steve Rogers had been borrowing from Lyanna's older brother, Brandon, who have taken an immediate liking to the man and was treating the strange man with awe and respect, even the quite Ned could be seen talking to Steve Rogers often.

" _The man is strong and fast, father."_ Brandon had said to their Lord father during dinner the other day. _"I have never seen anyone fight like him. I had our men attack him to test his prowess after Ser Steve expressed his intention to find work here in Winterfell as a Castle Guard. You won't believe how he handled five of his opponents, father. He's so fast and strong that all five men flew after a hit from his fists."_

" _And his shield?" Lord Rickard had inquired with interest._

" _I never seen it's like up here in the North." Brandon had said. "It's made from a material that is not of this world, father. Ned and I had it tested with different weapons but it doesn't have a scratch on it afterward. Ser Steve said it is made from Vibranium, I don't know what that is, but he said that the material can only be found from the place he hails from."_

Thereafter, Lyanna learned from Brandon that the man was hired as a Castle Guard, and had started his duty the moment he recovered from his wounds. That had been yesterday and Lyanna had seen Steve Rogers manning the battlements in the North Gate when she had gone to the Winter Town alongside Benjen.

Today, she would do the same just to catch a glimpse of him.

.

"I finally know the true reason why we're constantly leaving for the Winter Town." Benjen said to her the moment they passed by the North Gate.

Lyanna was half-listening to Benjen for her eyes were trained on the man who stood at the battlements of the castle. Steve Roger's hair gleamed golden beneath the morning sun while his icy, blue eyes were focused down at the people who were coming and leaving through the North Gate of the Castle.

Even in this distance, Lyanna could clearly see how handsome he was in his new set of clothes, which Brandon had given him.

She couldn't help but sigh at the sight of him, her heart was saddened by the fact that she couldn't speak to him at all.

"Lyanna! Lya! Are you even listening to me?" She heard Benjen asked and Lyanna turned towards her younger brother.

"What? What did you say?" She said to him.

"Oh, nothing." Benjen said, "I was thinking of going to the fruit stand and see if they're selling blood oranges from Dorne."

"Well, let's go and see, brother." Lyanna replied as they began to walk towards the direction of the fruit stands. The town was slightly deserted in this time of day and so it was easy for Lyanna and Benjen to walk in the town without their Guards following closely behind.

They were nearing the fruit stands when suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed a hold of Lyanna. And before she knew it, the man was dragging her away while she struggled and screamed against her captor.

"HELP! HELP!" She screamed while Benjen was yelling, "LYA! LYA! LET GO OF HER!"

Then, she realized to her worry that her kidnapper wasn't alone, but they were other four men who arrive in mounted horses.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" Lyanna screamed at the top of her lungs as she struggled against her captor who hauled her up unto one of the horses. She kicked and punched her assailant, but the man just ignored her struggles.

"SOMEBODY HELP!" She continued to shout, hoping that the Winterfell guards could hear her, but she could not see anyone yet. Then, she recalled _him_. Steve Rogers, the man with a pair of beautiful blue eyes standing in the battlements of the North Gate, and so Lyanna screamed his name, hoping with all her heart that he would come save her.

"STEVE! HELP ME! STEVE!"


	5. Chapter 5

Someone hoisted her roughly into the horse saddle but Lyanna continued to struggle and scream for Steve.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP! STEVE!" She shouted while she continued to hit and scratch the hand who held her. "STEVE! FATHER! HELP ME!"

"By the Old Gods will someone shut her up?!" one of her abductors commanded harshly, "We can't have all the guards come and hear her screaming for help!"

Lyanna watched when a man moved towards her with a sadistic look on his face.

"Come now, girly and we –"

There was a blur in Lyanna's periphery right before she heard a loud crash to her left. She blinked for a moment and discovered that the man, who was about to shut her up, had disappeared all of a sudden.

Then, chaos descended in Winter Town. The calm silence in the morning was instantly broken by the shouts and cries of fighting men. Lyanna could only gape in surprise to see a familiar blonde-haired man fighting her abductors.

She watched as the man she knew as Steve Rogers delivered a swift kick to a man sneaking up on him from behind and then threw a punch at another man who came running with an ax drawn on Steve's left. Both of the miscreants flew out from Steve's reach and crashed into unsupervised stalls like they were hit by an wild horse.

Steve's speed was so swift that she could hardly follow all of his movements. And when an archer from one of her abductors drew a bow and aimed an arrow at Steve, Lyanna could only scream when the arrow was released and the projectile zipped straight for the blonde man.

"NO!" She yelled as the arrow drew close to Steve's head.

However, to her complete and utter shock, Steve Rogers caught the arrow mid-air with a fierce look in his azure eyes.

Lyanna gasped out loud at the breathtaking display of speed.

"I can do this all day," Steve said to the archer who was already nocking another arrow into his bow.

"Shit!" The unknown man who held her said after watching the fight. "We are leaving!" Her abductor said to the archer, looking spooked.

Thereafter, she watched in mounting trepidation when her abductor prompted the horse to move beneath them. The horse began to gallop away fast and Lyanna turned to look behind her and saw that Steve was occupied once more by the other two men who fought him earlier.

"STEVE!" She shouted and Steve's blue eyes met hers across the distance. She saw his eyes widened at the sight of her being taken away by the abductors in horse back.

"LYANNA!" He called back.

Lyanna watched as Steve hastily dispatched the two men who delayed him and delivered a well-aimed punch to the face and a kick in the groin. The two men went down and did not stand up again as both were groaning in pain on the ground.

Then, Lyanna was shock to see Steve began to run towards her at breakneck speed.

Steve was so fast that it only took for a few moments to see him gaining on her abductor's horse. Soon enough, Lyanna was staring directly into a pair of blue eyes as Steve Rogers ran beside the horse.

"My lady," Steve said somberly right before he pulled her abductor off the horse. There was a shout as her abductor was forcefully dragged away from her. Thankfully, she was able to snatch the reins and held unto the horse until the stallion slowed down.

Still, she was not far from danger as she saw the archer aimed an arrow at Steve again. Without hesitating, Lyanna nudged her horse towards the archer's direction and promptly pulled the reins. Suddenly, her horse stood on its hind legs and shortly hit the enemy archer with its forelegs.

The archer flew from his horse, but Lyanna's action was without consequence.

She fell from her horse as well and hit the ground with a painful thud. It knocked the breath out of her while a lance of pain went straight through her left side. In the distance, she heard the sound of fighting but she wasn't sure who was winning. She hoped that it was Steve who won the fight.

Lyanna Stark must have lain there on the ground for a few moments when she finally heard footsteps nearing her.

"My Lady, are you alright?" She heard Steve's voice and Lyanna slowly opened her eyes to see the blonde man bending over her.

At the sight of him, Lyanna could only feel joy and relief to see him unharmed.

"I am not sure." She said softly, gazing up at him.

"Here, let me help you up my lady," The man said to her as he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her up to his side.

"I don't think I can stand up," She said, wincing in agony. "I think I might have broken something when I fell."

"Then, let me carry you." Steve said, his worried face was closer than Lyanna would have expect, which sent her heart racing.

However, before she could reply, Lyanna heard the sound of horses galloping closer.

She looked up to see her Father, her brother and the Stark house guards mounted on horses closing in their location. As they neared, she straightened her spine and put a nonchalant face on.

"Lyanna!" Her brother Brandon cried out as he dismounted from his horse and ran towards her. "Are you alright?! Did they hurt you?!" Brandon demanded as he looked her over. He glanced at Steve who still had his arm wrapped around Lyanna.

"I'm fine, Brandon." Lyanna assured him, "If not for Steve Rogers here, my abductors would have accomplished what they came here for."

"I'm glad you are alright, Lyanna… and damn these rotten bastards for trying to take you away from home," Brandon growled beneath his breath while his gaze landed on the two abductors who lay unconscious on the ground. "Wait until our Lord Father interrogates them. Then, we will find out who sent them."

Afterward, Brandon's gaze shifted back to Steve who was still supporting Lyanna with his arm around her.

"I thank you Steve Rogers for rescuing my little sister." Brandon said gratefully. "If not for your swiftness –"

"Lyanna," A voice interrupted.

Brandon turned and Lyanna glanced up to see her father moving towards her. A worried look on his face.

"Are you alright child?" Her father asked as he halted in front of her.

"I am father," Lyanna replied, trying to give her father a comforting smile, but failed. Her smile turned into a grimace instead as the pain flared up again on her left side. Lyanna stifled a groan.

"Pardon My Lord," Steve Rogers spoke up as he tightened his arm around Lyanna's shoulder to keep her upright. "I believe she might need to see the Maester immediately. The lady said she might have broken something when she fell from the horse."

Lyanna heard him say.

However, she didn't know what was said and done afterward as Lyanna blacked out without warning. The only thing she remembered was being carried by strong arms with a scent of fresh pine needles.

.

.

.

The next time Lyanna woke up, she was in her bedroom with a certain blonde-haired man personally guarding her. Apparently, her Lord Father had turned the blonde stranger she had brought back from the Wolfswood into her sworn shield. And to her consternation, Steve Rogers was also apparently coming with them to the Tourney at Harrenhall, which was half a moon's away.

Lyanna Stark was happy of course upon hearing this latest development. It could only mean that Steve Rogers would be staying with House Stark - _her_ \- for an indefinite time.


	6. Chapter 6

They never did discover who was behind Lyanna's attempted abduction. When the prisoners were interrogated, the only information that they discovered was that an unknown, but rich man had hired the mercenaries. Through the use of a proxy named 'Wald', this rich Lord had ordered the mercenaries to abduct Lyanna Stark at the first opportunity. The mercenaries said that they were already given half of the obscene sum that was promised to them and only acted in sheer desperation to obtain the other half that they dared to abduct Lyanna closed to her home.

However, that's the only information that they learned from the prisoners. As the Tourney at Harrenhal drew near, Lyanna's Lord Father and her brothers were still looking for more information and any clues regarding the man behind her attempted abduction. Still, nothing else came up even when the prisoners were beheaded after her Lord father no longer have no further use for them.

Meanwhile, Lyanna allowed herself to recuperate after her fall and spent most of her time trying to get to know her new sworn shield, Steve Rogers, every time she had the chance. Although the man himself seemed to be very vague with his answers every time she questioned him about his past. In fact, he seemed to be troubled by it that Lyanna decided not to ask him anymore about his mysterious background.

Lyanna also began to realize that the man was very disciplined and polite and also very distant. He never did break out of character or his role as her sworn shield to the point that she found it admirable and frustrating at times. One time she even dared ask him if he could pick a bunch of Winter Roses from the Glass garden just to see his reaction and was not surprise to see him do it without complaint. Even as he handed the Winter roses to her, Steve Rogers still had that polite and cool mask on his face while he said to her, _"For you, my lady..."_

Afterward, Lyanna didn't dare ask her sworn shield to do some inane errands, even though the sight of him giving her flowers had set her heart a flutter.

Other than that, weeks before the Tourney at Harrenhall, Lyanna observed how her brothers Brandon and Ned gave Steve Rogers a sword to practice with and taught him how to carry a lance for the joust. Steve Rogers proved to be a capable in both weapons like he's been using them for years.

She had also watched as the blonde man constantly go through the Quintain to practice his jousting and he seemed to be improving beyond leaps and bounds. Lyanna was thoroughly impressed when the man turned the jousting mannequin into an unrecognizable heap.

" _Your sworn shield is a fast learner, Lyanna,"_ Brandon had commented to her one day. _"His skills with the sword rivals that of any seasoned warrior, who has years of experience and even perhaps more. Meanwhile, he learns how to joust so easily that he seemed born to be a Tourney champion. I can't wait to see him join the list at the Tourney."_

After listening to Brandon's words, Lyanna couldn't help but feel excitement filling her at the thought of Steve Rogers winning the Tourney.

 _I wonder…will he crown me as Queen of Love and Beauty if he wins?_ She couldn't help but think that night and desperately hoped that Steve Rogers will do so, if only to fulfill her fantasy.

.

.

.

"Are you nervous, my lady?" Steve Rogers asked her the day they traveled through the bogs of the Neck and straight for Harrenhal.

"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Lyanna replied, glancing at the blonde man riding beside her.

"It's just that you've been biting your lips for the last hour." Steve Rogers responded, meeting Lyanna's wide grey eyes. "And you're always nervous when you do that."

"Oh," She said, partly in embarrassment and surprise. "I'm not nervous per say...I'm simply thinking about something that worries me."

"What are you worried about?" Steve asked, directing his cobalt blue eyes at her.

"About the Tourney mostly," She told him, "I hear the King is going to be there."

"Why are you worried about the King being there?"

"Because I've heard awful things about him. I heard that he's mad and he's done some horrible things to some people in King's Landing."

"Perhaps you shouldn't believe in rumors so easily, my lady," came Steve's suggestion. "For some rumors are simply an exaggeration of the story."

"Perhaps you are right," Lyanna murmured. "I'll stop worrying then."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence while they continued to ride side by side.

"Are you going to join the list?" came her curious query.

"Yes, I will." The blonde man responded.

"That's good then," She stated, smiling at him. "I don't want your talents to go to waste by remaining by my side and not participating in the Tourney at all."

"I don't consider protecting you as wasting my talents, my lady." Steve Rogers replied, "In fact, I consider it an honor to be guarding you, Lady Lyanna."

Lyanna's flushed scarlet at the man's words.

"Thank you, Ser," was Lyanna's response. "For your kind words…"

"You are welcome, my lady…" came Steve's soft answer while they continued on with their journey.

.

.

.

Soon, the Northern Party arrived at Harrenhal three days after and immediately set their camps on the grounds near the God's Eye.

Lyanna left Steve and other men to set her tent while she went exploring together with her brother Benjen.

The two had just come out of the abandoned armory and was about to practice the tourney swords they discovered, when they heard a commotion nearby.

"Leave this place you, frogeater!" a voice yelled and Lyanna could hear the sounds of struggling and someone whimpering in pain afterward.

Lyanna glanced at her brother Benjen and whispered to him, "Let's go and see what is happening."

Thereafter, the two ran towards the voices and what Lyanna saw made her blood boil. She instantly whipped her tourney sword out and marched forward towards the one-sided fight.

"You're not allowed to be here, you filthy scum!" A boy of no more than five and ten was saying while kicking a curled figure on the ground.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be here, you frogeater! Leave at once!" said another boy who was wearing a pitchfork for a sigil.

"Hey!" Lyanna shouted as she brandished her sword forward, ready to defend the boy on the ground. "What do you think you are doing?!"

The three boys who stood over the fallen boy looked in her direction. However, as soon as they saw her, with her tourney sword in hand, the three boys became entirely amused.

"This is none of your business," One of the squires said. The one with porcupine sigil.

"Of course, it is my business!" She snapped in rage, "You just beaten up my father's bannerman!"

"Really?" said another squire. This time he had the two towers for a sigil. "I don't believe that this boy is your father's bannerman."

"Whether you believe me or not, I don't really care!" Lyanna growled out loud, her grey eyes flashing dangerously.

She pointed her sword at them and said, "Leave him be lest I shoved this tourney sword up your skinny asses!"

The three squires glanced at each other before they grin back at her.

"Try it and we will –"

The boy wasn't able to finish his sentence for Lyanna already moved.

Swift as the wind, Lyanna Stark snapped her tourney sword out and hit the boy's face with the dull edge of her sword. She heard a crack and a yowl of pain as the boy's nose broke beneath her surprise attack.

Then, without breaking momentum, she dashed to her left, slashed the squire with the pitchfork sigil across the knee, and kicked him on the chest where the boy immediately fell back on his arse.

Next, she whirled around and flung her tourney sword at the fleeing squire where it hit him on back of his head. The last squire went down with a loud thump and a groan of pain.

Afterward, Lyanna ran towards the boy she had defended and could only feel a surge of pity at the sight of the purple bruises and scratch marks on the boy's face.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly while she helped him to stand up.

"I'm fine, my Lady." The boy said, "Thank you for saving me."

"Lyanna! Look out!" She heard Benjen yell and Lyanna looked up just in time to see one of the squire hurriedly making his way towards her.

Lyanna straightened up and was ready to fight the squire again when she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice saying loudly.

"If you lay a finger on the Lady, boy…I'll have you strip off your rank."

A silver-haired man suddenly stepped out from beneath the shadows of the trees, who was soon followed by a knight wearing white armor.

And Lyanna Stark instantly knew who he was.


	7. Chapter 7

"Your grace," the pitchfork squire said in a trembling voice as he gazed at the silver-haired man and the man with white armor

Meanwhile, Lyanna could only gape at the two men who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Leave." The silver-haired man commanded to the three squires, who didn't need to be told twice before they ran away from there, but not before they hailed apologies in Lyanna's direction.

"We are sorry, my lady!" They said to her while they scrambled away.

Lyanna watched them go before she turned her attention towards the silver-haired man and the Kingsguard.

"That was most admirable, my Lady," the man remarked as he strode towards her and the boy she had defended, who was standing to her left while Benjen stood somewhere behind her.

"Where did you learn how to wield a sword?" The silver-haired man asked, coming to a complete halt right in front of her.

"I taught it to myself, your grace." She replied, already knowing that she was talking to the Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. Those purple eyes and silver hair were a dead give away.

"How remarkable," the Prince muttered while he fixed his purple eyes on her. "Forgive me, my lady…but may I know your name?"

"My name is Lyanna Stark, your grace." She responded, curtsying deeply.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Lyanna." The Prince said, "My name is Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, and the Kingsguard behind me is the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne."'

Lyanna glanced at the silent white knight standing behind the Prince and noted that the Sword of the Morning had such dark violet eyes set on a handsome face.

"It's an honor to meet you both." Lyanna said, shifting her attention to the Prince again.

"May I ask who your companions are?" Prince Rhaegar inquired.

"Of course, your grace." She said, "The one behind me is my brother Benjen Stark, and the one next to me is –"

Lyanna turned to the boy in question who hastily introduced himself.

"Howland Reed, your grace." The boy with the three-pronged spear said while he bowed respectfully.

"I see," the Prince muttered. He regarded the boy in silent contemplation, where he shortly noticed the boy's injuries. "Those wounds will worsen if its not taken care of immediately. You must consider going to the Maester at once."

"Thank you for your concern, your grace. I promise I will go to the Maester as soon as I can." Howland replied, nodding his head.

Afterward, the Prince turned his gaze back to Lyanna.

"May I ask if you are hurt, my lady?" Prince Rhaegar inquired. His purple eyes showing concern as he stared at her.

"I'm fine your grace, but thank you for asking," came Lyanna's respectful response.

"Are you certain?" was Prince Rhaegar's persistent query, scrutinizing her.

"Yes, I am certain." She told him, meeting his intent gaze.

"That's good to hear then," He remarked. "And here I thought those squires were able to hurt you in someway."

"Those squires weren't able to, your grace, because I didn't give them the chance to do so."

"I can see that," was the Prince's amused comment.

However, before Lyanna could say anything else, she suddenly saw a familiar flash of blonde hair behind the Prince and his Kingsguard and knew at once who it was.

Instantly, her modicum of propriety was thrown out the window at the sight of the man walking towards her.

"Ser Steve!" She called out, her smile widening as she met those familiar pair of azure blue eyes.

"Lady Lyanna," She heard Steve Rogers said while he glanced worriedly at the unknown men surrounding her.

Lyanna noticed how the Prince and the Kingsguard eyed Steve Rogers as the blonde man slowly approached her.

"Is there something wrong here, my lady?" Lyanna's sworn shield asked in a wary tone, when he came to a complete halt beside Lyanna. His eyes immediately meeting the curious stares from both Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Ser Arthur Dayne.

"Nothing is wrong here, Ser." Lyanna assured him while she stepped closer to his side.

"And who is this?" came the Prince's sudden question. His direct gaze fixed on the blonde man standing opposite him.

"His name is Ser Steve Rogers, your grace," Lyanna answered before Steve could respond. "He is my sworn shield."

"Your sworn shield?" Prince Rhaegar asked, curiosity marking his words.

"Yes," came her curt answer.

"Then, it's nice to meet you, Ser Steve." Prince Rhaegar said, "My name is Prince Rhaegar Targaryen."

"It's an honor, your grace," came Steve's comment as he bowed rather stiffly.

"May I ask how long have you been her sworn shield?" was the Prince's next inquiry.

"Just only recently, your grace." Steve replied.

"I see," The Prince murmured almost to himself. "Since you are particularly new to your position, Ser Steve. I suggest that you should not leave the Lady's side at all cost. Because a few moments ago, she had altercation with some squires who were bullying the boy." The Prince indicated to Howland Reed. "Your lady came to the boy's defense and fought the squires herself," the Prince remarked with great admiration. "However, if I hadn't come in time, I would say that the Lady would have come to harm had I not interfered."

Lyanna bristled at the Prince sure tone and couldn't help but come to Steve's defense.

"The only reason Ser Steve wasn't there to protect me from the squires was because he was busy helping the others set the tents for House Stark," She told the Prince coldly before Steve Rogers could say anything.

She saw Steve glanced in her direction, and judging from his concerned look, he must have so many questions for her after listening to what the Prince stated. She, however, ignored his inquisitive stares. She would talk to him later about what happened. In the meantime, she had to defend him from the Prince's wrong presumption.

"Oh, I see," was the Prince's only remark as he stared at Lyanna with a frown, probably surprised to hear her speak coldly.

"I apologize if I presumed wrongly, my lady." Prince Rhaegar said in conciliatory tone. "I didn't mean to offend you, or your sworn shield."

Lyanna opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

"It's fine, your grace." Steve Rogers suddenly interrupted. "I understand where you are coming from. I know you are only concern for the Lady."

"Thank you for understanding, Ser Steve." came the Prince soft response. "Even though I know Lady Lyanna can defend herself if the moment arises, it's still best if she has someone to protect her as an added precaution."

"I know, your grace." Steve nodded his head. "That's why I swear to you that I will not leave her side from now on."

"Good, that's all I want to hear from you, Ser." Prince Rhaegar responded. "And now, that I have that settled, my Kingsguard and I will be bidding our leave..."

"Alright, your grace," Lyanna replied, already eager to leave from there too. "It was an honor to meet you, your grace."

She curtsied once more towards the Prince while Steve Rogers and the two silent boys bowed as well.

"The honor is mine, Lady Lyanna.." Prince Rhaegar said as he bowed towards her. He then turned to Steve Rogers and asked, "Will you be joining the list Ser Steve?"

"Yes, I am, your grace." Steve replied.

"Then, I will be seeing you there." The Prince said, nodding his head to Steve and the rest in acknowledgement. Afterward, he pivoted around and began to walk away. His Kingsguard following silently right behind him.

Lyanna slowly watched him go and couldn't help but feel relieved to see him leave.


	8. Chapter 8

_"I wish you good fortune,"_ Lyanna had told her sworn shield that very morning.

 _"Thank you, my lady,"_ Steve had said to her. His bright azure eyes had gazed at her with such calm that Lyanna couldn't help but feel the mounting trepidation for him.

Somehow, deep down, she knew that something bad was going to happen during the Melee.

Now, Lyanna Stark could only wait with bated breath for the Melee to start.

Her eyes focused on a certain blonde-haired man who stood among the crowd of participants.

Steve Rogers stood there with his strange shield on his arm while his sword remained sheathed at his hip.

Lyanna was nervous for him.

From what Steve told her, this would be the first melee of its kind that Steve would participate in. Lyanna could already sensed the coming misfortune that was about to happen.

Then, without warning, a trumpet was blown to herald the start of the Melee.

Almost at once, Lyanna watched with increasing dread as some of the participants let out a battle cry while they surged towards each other with their weapons drawn out.

Lyanna's eyes never left Steve's figure who hadn't even drawn out his sword yet.

"Why hasn't your sworn shield taken out his sword, Lya?" She heard Benjen ask from beside her.

"I don't know Ben," came her reply as she watched Steve shifted his shield to the side to stop a coming attack from his left, where he then used his shield to hit the man across the chest with such force that the man flew away.

It didn't end there, however. Instead Lyanna watched with wide eyes as Steve Rogers suddenly let his shield fly across the distance of fighting men. She observed how the shield seemed to hit consecutive targets which left men groaning on the ground in its wake. Afterward, she saw the shield came back to Steve, who caught it mid-air.

The crowd of onlookers immediately noticed Steve's way of eliminating his competition. Their gasps of surprise could be heard all throughout the Tourney ground when Steve repeated the process. He let his shield fly once more, where it hit multiple people along the way, right before Steve's strange shield came flying back to him unhindered.

"How is he doing that?" Benjen asked in awe from beside Lyanna, who observed in great worry when she saw some of the fighters in the Melee started noticing Steve and were now making their way towards him. The men's faces were set in furious frowns while their intent was clear with the way they held their weapons in front of them.

"I don't know Benjen," She said, her stomach churning with acid as she watched the group of men drew closer to Steve, who only stood waiting for them. "Perhaps you can ask him once the Melee is over."

Then, Lyanna saw the group of fighters ran to Steve simultaneously, but he was ready for them. She watched when her sworn shield raised his shield up in time to stop a sword from harming him and at the same time he kicked the man, who was about to attack him from behind.

Thereafter, Lyanna had a hard time following Steve's movements. The blonde man was so fast that his actions were like a blur to her. One moment she saw Steve punching a man in the face and the next moment she saw him used his shield to hit his other opponent, who instantly flew yards away at the sheer force of Steve's attack.

Most of the people from the stands were gaping at him now, and even the Melee fighters seemed to be drawn to Steve Roger's fight, who now had a never-ending sea of opponents.

Men were running towards Steve from all sides and in droves, when she thought Steve had defeated one challenger, another person would replace the previous one, and on and on it went. But despite Steve's constant challengers, the man seemed not to tire. Instead the fight seemed to invigorate him all the more.

Lyanna could almost see the determine glint in his eyes as he fought one man after another. His shield flashing while his arms and legs were swift to incapacitate his every opponent.

In utter hopelessness, Lyanna Stark could only watch as Steve was swamped from all sides. His clothes were slashed often. The tight suit that he wore beneath his normal clothes were slowly revealed, but it remained indestructible.

She observed how Steve Rogers knocked out Robert Baratheon with a good punch in the jaw. Afterward, he kicked the Kingsguard, Oswell Whent, in the stomach that the man went flying unto a crowd of Melee fighters.

Steve pummeled men left and right as the crowd cheered him on. His stamina and strength was something to be admired. It was ceaseless and he seemed to have a constant supply of power behind his punches and kicks.

And as he whirled around, Lyanna observed how Steve used his shield to throw and knock away the fighting men who surrounded him. The men flew yards away and the crowd of watchers let out a gasp of shock at Steve's action.

Suddenly, Lyanna heard a bellow as an enormous man charged towards Steve. She couldn't help but cry out when she realized that Steve's back was turned towards the coming giant.

"Steve, behind you!" She called out while the crowd was doing the same. The thousands of onlookers seemed to be rooting for Steve to win the Melee that they let out a shout of warning.

"LOOK OUT!" "BEHIND YOU!" The people shouted and called out to Steve, who instantly turned around to see the enormous man running towards him.

"That's the Mountain that Rides!" She heard someone from House Manderly yell.

Lyanna glanced up in time to see Steve ducked from the Mountain's outward slash. The men surrounding Steve scattered almost instantly, clearly not wanting to be in a fight between Steve and the Mountain.

"The Mountain seems intent to kill him," came Benjen's remark a moment later and Lyanna wrung her hands in concern when Steve lifted his shield up to stop the Mountain's sword from cleaving him in half.

There was a ringing sound that seemed to echo across the Tourney grounds when the Mountain's sword met Steve's round shield. Lyanna could see the shield reverberating from the strength behind the Mountain's downward slash.

"Don't be absurd, Benjen. Killing an opponent in the Melee is prohibited." Lyanna stated. She hoped she was right because as she watched the Mountain attacked Steve Rogers, the giant of a man seemed to be aiming to kill her sworn shield.

The spectators had now fallen silent as they watched the fight between the Mountain and Steve.

 _Gods, please guide him to victory._ Lyanna thought as she bit her lower lip. Her eyes intent upon the two fighting figures in front of her. Lyanna was tempted not to watch the entire fight for fear of something bad happening. Because she could feel it in her bones.

Something was about to happen.

All of a sudden, there was chorus of surprise gasps coming from the assembled crowd and Lyanna looked up just in time to see the Mountain grabbing a hold of Steve's shield. However, Steve still got a hold of his shield and she watched with worry when the Mountain tried to tear it from Steve's grip.

But Steve held on. Lyanna could see how his azure blue eyes seemed to be blazing as he glared at the Mountain that Rides.

Then, Steve Rogers moved. He moved so suddenly and gracefully that the people who were watching could hardly catch up to what was going on.

Steve's speed was unmatched. His strength unrivaled. And his fighting skills was absolutely breathtaking and terrifying at the same time that Lyanna saw only brief glimpses of what her sworn shield was doing to his opponent.

Steve Rogers was both an art in motion and a cataclysmic entity.

In that moment, Lyanna saw only a God of War unleashed upon a mere mortal, who dared challenged him.

In that moment, she already knew who would win.


	9. Chapter 9

The Mountain that Rides had been holding the shield when Lyanna's sworn shield suddenly exploded into a series of movements. In almost a blink of an eye, Steve had torn the shield from Gregor Clegane's grasp and proceeded to deliver ruthless but efficient attacks on the Mountain.

Lyanna caught a glimpse of how Steve Rogers leaped forward and punched the Mountain in the face. Once, twice, three times with so much strength that it dented Gregor's helmet badly and had probably dazed the man himself. Meanwhile, the Mountain was unable to protect himself in time from Steve's sudden attacks and was forced to stumble back step by step.

As the giant stumbled, Clegane tried to slash his sword at Steve, but the blonde warrior simply batted the blade away with his shield easily. Steve didn't stop there, however, and continued to move relentlessly. She watched as he followed his punches with swift kicks to the Mountain's knees and chest. The kicks were so powerful that the giant of a man flew a meter away and landed on the ground with a resounding thud and scoured a good portion of dirt.

Still the fight wasn't over yet, not when the Mountain slowly, but surely began to stand up from the ground again.

Steve didn't give Gregor Clegane another opportunity though. For Lyanna's sworn shield instantly grabbed the Mountain's arm and twisted it behind the giant's back, which forced Clegane into his knees.

"Give up!" Lyanna heard Steve said clearly and loudly while the enraptured crowd watched in awed silence.

"NEVER!" The Mountain roared in fury, who clearly tried to twist away from Steve's grasp.

However, Steve Rogers was as unmoving as the Wall and seemed just as cold in that moment.

"I said give up!"

She listened to Steve repeat and observed how her sworn shield twisted Clegane's arm all the more until the giant of a man was howling in agony right before Steve forcefully shoved the Mountain face first into the ground.

"I WON'T GIVE UP! YOU DAMN BASTARD!" The Mountain managed to shout while spitting out dirt. Gregor obviously tried in vain to break free from the blonde man's hold, but Steve didn't let him.

When it appeared that the Mountain wasn't going to surrender soon, Lyanna observed how Steve Rogers took matters into his own hands. With one hand still twisting Clegane's arm, she saw when Steve used his other hand to smash his shield at the back of the Mountain's head.

Gregor Clegane was still wearing a helmet and when Steve's foreign shield slammed into the man's steel helmet, she could practically feel the vibrations through her bones, and the loud ringing sound it made seemed to echo around the tourney grounds. Steve bashed Gregor's head only once and it looked like her sworn shield was successful in rendering the Mountain unconscious.

Gregor Clegane did not stand up again.

A stunned silence followed the Mountain's humiliating defeat as the thousands of onlookers could only gaze at the man responsible with awe and respect.

A moment later, the people began to cheer loudly and jubilantly. They clapped and yelled praises at Steve, who stood up slowly from his crouch position.

However, the melee wasn't over yet. For the other contenders, who had watched the fight between the Mountain and Steve on the sidelines, took this opportunity to move hurriedly and overwhelm the blonde man in moments.

Once more, Steve was surrounded from all sides. Yet Lyanna noted how he didn't hesitate at all when he easily dispatched his remaining opponents. The crowd of spectators was still cheering him on as Steve fought his challengers simultaneously without losing momentum. He was a whirlwind of motion. His attack was both precise and somewhat brutal. Within moments, men were either unconscious or left groaning on the ground with some injury or the other.

Steve only fought for less than a minute until finally he was the only one left standing in the middle of the tourney grounds. As Lyanna looked closely, the man didn't even appear slightly winded from his fight. In fact, he seemed fine overall, except for a couple of slashes on his clothing, which he must have acquired from the many opponents who tried to maim him.

The crowd's cheer was deafening now. Most people were standing up from their seats to completely acknowledge Steve's triumph.

"And the winner for the melee is SER STEVE ROGERS!" Someone announced while Lyanna listened to how the crowd exploded into a cacophony of cheerful noises while some of the spectators took up a chant.

"ROGERS! ROGERS! ROGERS!" They said while Lyanna couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of pride within her.

She was so happy for Steve that she couldn't help but grinned widely.

"Come forward Ser Steve to claim your prize!" A man called out from the stand and Lyanna watched as Steve moved to do just that.

"Can't you believe Ser Steve defeated the Mountain just like that, Lyanna?!" Benjen said from beside her with awe in his voice. "He was so fast that I hardly knew what occurred before the Mountain was brought down."

"I know. Steve was lightning quick that I failed to see what he did to incapacitate the rest of his opponents as well," came Lyanna's answer.

"He is so amazing!" Benjen said earnestly. "Once we go back to Winterfell, I'm going to ask him to teach me how to fight like that!"

"You probably need to ask permission from our Lord father first Benjen before you talk to Ser Steve about it," Lyanna said while she saw Steve took his winnings from the man on the stand.

"Yes, of course sister! I'll ask father first," Her brother replied.

Lyanna simply smiled while her eyes remained on a certain blonde man who was already making his way towards the stand where she and most of House Stark was sitting. He must have felt her eyes on him because Steve Rogers suddenly looked up and met her gaze from across the distance and Lyanna's heart instantly leap in her chest.

As the blonde man held her gaze, Lyanna decided to smile and wave at him. A moment later, she noted when Steve smiled in return and nodded his head at her.

Lyanna continued to watch him walked in her direction and silently wondered what he was going to do with his winnings. She suspected that he might buy himself some new clothes instead of using one of her brother's clothes again, and even perhaps procure some equipment as well.

Thereafter, her mind drifted towards the next day, when the jousting contest will start and continue for three consecutive days. Lyanna wondered how Steve was going to fare during the jousting tomorrow. She was now confident that her sworn shield would do well enough to advance in the list. But how far would that be? Lyanna knew that there were still more experienced jousters in the list that Steve was going to face, like Barristan the Bold or even Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.

Lyanna could only hope that Steve Rogers would be able to defeat them all.

.

.

.

Later at the feast that night, Lyanna simply observed in complete amusement when Robert Baratheon seemed to gush over the Melee champion.

"That was the best fight that I have ever seen, Ser Steve!"

Lyanna watched as Robert Baratheon said uproariously while thumping her sworn shield in the back. Steve Rogers, meanwhile, suffered the thumping in silence.

"I could not believe it when you brought the Mountain down with a hit in the head!"

"Well, believe it Lord Robert. A lot of people saw what happened at the Melee and that's all the people are talking about, from the small folks and even to the genteel folks of the noble houses," Brandon, her brother said.

"Then, Ser Steve should be proud of his accomplishment!" the Lord of Stormlands declared. "This is his first Tourney and yet he is already making a name for himself!"

Lyanna wanted to roll her eyes at Robert's enthusiasm. After Robert Baratheon came out of the Melee with a terrible bruise on his jaw, the man had immediately sought out Steve Rogers and began to talk to him like he was a new-found brother in arms. It seemed that defeating the Mountain had earned the admiration and respect from Robert, despite the fact that Steve was the one responsible for the ugly, purple bruise on Robert's face.

"Now, we shall celebrate tonight for your victory Ser Steve!" Robert said, "Let us drink to your success for winning the Melee and for bringing down the Mountain! I challenge you to a drinking game!"

Lyanna inwardly groaned at Robert's challenge. The man was a complete buffoon. She didn't know what she would do once she married the man.

 _Gods, why do I have to be betrothed to this boar of man?_ She thought while she listened when Steve respond to Robert's challenge.

"I'm afraid I have to decline the challenge Lord Robert. I'm not really much of a drinker." the blonde man said politely.

"Come now, Ser Steve! If you can bring down the Mountain, I'm certain you can handle a flagon of Dornish red or arbor gold!" Robert said.

Deciding that Lyanna heard enough of Robert's stupidity, she said loudly before Steve could say anything else.

"Ser Steve said 'No', Robert. So don't try to force him into something he clearly doesn't want to participate in." She said coldly while giving Robert an icy glare. She noted when the man seemed to flinch from her look. "Also, Ser Steve is my sworn shield and I rather have him clear-headed in able to perform his duties."

"Alright, my lady…if that is what you wish, then I will not challenge Ser Steve to a drinking game," Robert replied, looking somewhat contrite.

"Good," Lyanna said shortly.

There was a moment of silence right before Robert Baratheon opened his big mouth again.

"Since Ser Steve is no longer available, then I challenge you Lord Brandon Stark to a drinking game!" Robert suddenly said, grinning widely.

"I accept the challenge Lord Robert!" came Brandon's immediate response.

This time, Lyanna couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at her brother and Robert's antics.

 _Men..._ She thought in both amusement and exasperation. For a moment, she glanced to the side at Steve and instantly noticed how the blonde man was looking at her with a contemplative look on his handsome face.

Lyanna merely raised a brow at her sworn shield in silent inquiry. To which, the blonde man simply shook his head and smiled at her. Slowly, Lyanna grinned right back at him when she finally noted the gratitude shining in his azure eyes. She knew somewhat that Steve was grateful for her intervention in Robert's intent to drag him into a drinking game.

Of course, she wasn't going to allow anyone to bully Steve into doing something he obviously didn't want, most certainly if it was her betrothed. She knew that Ser Steve could take care of himself, but sometimes the man needed help especially in a social situation where he seemed to flounder. Fortunately, the man had her to get him out from certain situation that might result in a faux pas.

She was still smiling when she sensed a prickle at the back of her neck, like she was being watched. Immediately, Lyanna looked around the feasting hall until her eyes locked into a pair of familiar purple eyes.

Prince Rhaegar Targaryen was looking at her and she saw when the Prince instantly smiled and raised his goblet in her direction.

Lyanna resisted the urge to scowl at the Prince. She knew that he was a married man and she didn't understand the reason why the Prince was even looking at her in that moment. The only obvious reason he might have done so was probably because he was interested in her.

 _Well, too bad for him then...because I am completely not interested in him at all._ She thought while choosing to ignore the Prince's attention. Her eyes going back to a certain blonde man who was sitting next to her silent brother Ned.

Unfortunately, the only man Lyanna Stark was interested in was obviously not interested in her.

Lyanna inwardly sighed at the thought, but she wasn't dissuaded in the least. If she couldn't have the blonde warrior, then she would have to contend with him being her sworn shield. At least, she often got to see and talk to him while he was doing his duties.


	10. Chapter 10 (Interlude)

Steve Rogers allowed himself half a day to analyze his entire situation. The moment he woke up with strangers surrounding him - especially strangers wearing outdated clothing - he had a good reason to be both confused and wary. He knew at once that there was something wrong. He didn't exactly know what it was until the Maester told him that he was in a place called Westeros, specifically in the North, and the castle they were currently in was called Winterfell.

Of course, he didn't believe it, not even when he looked out the window of the Maester's tower just to survey more of his surroundings, where he immediately saw the people wearing Medieval clothing and doing certain tasks. At first, Steve was more than puzzled at the odd sight, but as he carefully scrutinize his environment, he began to consider the possibility that this wasn't an illusion of Loki's making. If it were, it would have required a lot of power from Loki to completely involve a lot of people and build an entire castle for the sole purpose of what? Deceive him - Captain America - into thinking that he had somewhat gone back in time?

Other than using the sceptre in something as elaborate and time-consuming as creating a Medieval setting with people in it, Steve couldn't see Loki going through these great lengths just to deceive him. He understood that Loki was a God of Mischief, and even perhaps Deception, but Loki was also methodical and practical when it came to using his resources. The God certainly would not squander his time and power in something like this. However, it also didn't mean for Steve to dismiss the idea so easily.

Not even a day after he woke up, Steve already knew that he was not welcome in Winterfell, because many believe that he was a foreign stranger who was found by Lord Stark's daughter in the woods. Even Lord Rickard Stark openly disapproved of his presence in his home that Steve suspected that the Lord would soon forced him to leave even when he hadn't recovered yet, which was something Steve did not look forward to. Not when he planned to learn more about his arrival in the place called the Wolfswood and discover more about the entire situation he found himself in.

Hence, after two days of bedrest as advised by the Maester, Steve immediately set out to investigate his situation further. Although it took a lot to convince the Maester to allow him to go out and return back to the place where the girl, Lyanna Stark, found him. With Brandon Stark and other guards as his guide, Steve went back to the Wolfswood. The eldest Stark was the one who pointed out to him where his shield was found and where the girl had found him days ago.

It was then that Steve realized that he was not stuck in some kind of elaborate illusion that Loki had concocted. Not when he constantly tested the people around him. He observed their reaction to his probing questions and noted their interaction with keen interest. Furthermore, he surveyed his environment, inspected his surroundings closely in fact that he often used his senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste just to determine if everything around him was real - although he did so discreetly - and slowly discovered that everything was real enough for him.

As he searched the Wolfswood, Steve had hoped to find some clues of how he arrived there, but he understood that it would probably take him days to scour the entire forest for some kind of portal or any magical residue that might be responsible for his arrival, and he was also hoping that the portal or the magical force, which had sent him there, could send him back home as well.

Since Steve intended to continue with his investigation in the Wolfswood, he had to find a way to convince the Lord of Winterfell to let him stay in the Castle. Because other than his intention to search the Wolfswood, Steve also realize that he needed to learn more about this world and find out ways to get back to his old world, if his investigation in the Wolfwood came up with nothing. Both of which he could not do without learning from the Maester or having access to the Winterfell library at the moment.

Thus, after learning that House Stark uphold honor and duty above all else, Steve decided that he won't mind working for the family, despite his thoughts regarding their medieval views on things. So he talked to the Lord of Winterfell and presented his case. Fortunately, Lord Rickard Stark was a reasonable - but suspicious man - and had hired Steve as a temporary Castle guard. And since the Lord already understood that Steve only planned to stay for a couple of days at best, the Lord did so by extracting a modified oath of fealty from him for his brief service. Apart from that, Steve had offered his temporary service for free as a recompense for the aid that House Stark had - and would - provide him, which Lord Rickard found more than an acceptable arrangement. Obviously, the Lord did not mind hiring an extra hand without paying him in return. Although Steve suspected that the Lord of Winterfell had also hired him in able to keep an eye on his whereabouts in the Castle, which the other guards had not failed in doing.

Still, for the next few days - often early in the morning - Steve continued to investigate the Wolfswood with a desperate hope to find the possible portal that will take him back home. There was no other reason for him to remain in that place, not when he knew there was an alien invasion that he needed to stop. However, as the days turned into two weeks and his search in the Wolfswood seemed to be in vain, Steve began to direct his attention to other ways of returning home. He was becoming a little bit desperate to find his way back home that he would try anything, anything at all to go back to New York and stop Loki's invasion once and for all, wherein he sorely hoped that he won't be too late once he did find a way back.

With the help of the Maester, Steve learned more about this world and the presence of magic. Although the Maester was very skeptical and downright disapproving about Steve's interest on the matter, yet Steve persisted in learning more about the magic of this world. However, the Winterfell library was limited to certain subjects - and magic was something of an obscure topic - that Steve discovered that even most potential Maester's didn't even delve unto it, except for those with a passion for the mysterious arts. The only way Steve could find some answers to his questions and his chance to return home, was to travel to places where mages or magicians practice their arts freely, or Steve could go to the Citadel and pay the fee - which he heard was quite an expensive sum that only the wealthy could afford - to gain access to the general library, where wealthy merchants and nobility are usually allowed to enter.

However, Steve Rogers was neither wealthy, nor was he noble. To most, he was just a foreign stranger with almost nothing to his name, except his suit and his shield, which he didn't plan to sell in exchange for money. So gaining access to even the general library in the Citadel would be terribly difficult for him. Even though the Maester was willing to send a recommendation letter to someone in the Citadel so that Steve had the chance to enter, but that won't be enough as the Maester had told him. Steve still needed a lot of money to pay the entrance fee and another trustworthy person - another Maester or a Lord - to send another recommendation letter to back him up as someone important enough to gain access to books that the Citadel deemed as more precious than gold or Valyrian steel.

For that reason, when Steve saved Lyanna Stark from her abductors, he immediately took this chance to ask the Lord of Winterfell a favor after the Lord had offered him a job. Of course, Lord Rickard had warmed up to him at this point and had been open to negotiation. Hence, the first thing that Steve did was explained himself and his reason for wanting to work in only six months or even less as Lyanna Stark's sworn shield. Something that seemed to shock the Lord of Winterfell to no end. Steve, of course, carefully explained further to the Lord of Winterfell that he needed to return back to his homeland, but he would need money, resources and a lot of information to get back there. That's when he asked the Lord about the recommendation letter to gain access to the Citadel.

However, that was also when Lord Rickard pointed out that the Citadel won't easily accept some commoner in their special library for nobles and the wealthy. Lord Rickard explained that Steve might need a title or some kind of wealth to his name. Fortunately, it was the Lord who remedied the matter and had told him that he would knight Steve, for the main reason that Steve saved his daughter and because the Lord suspected that Steve - a foreign stranger - was some kind of warrior of renown in his homeland.

Nonetheless, for Steve to be knighted, the Lord set out a series of tasks that he needed to accomplish within a week and a half before the Tourney at Harrenhal. Most did not know about the test that Lord Stark had set up for Steve two weeks before they were about to leave for the Tourney, not even his sons or his daughter, who had been with Steve when he had started practicing with the sword and running back and forth through the Quintain. Although the entire household was aware that there was something going on when Steve began shadowing a knight in Winterfell. However, Lord Stark did not explain this to anyone.

When the set of task started, Steve, of course, did it without fail. He was only asked to squire for a couple of days with a Winterfell knight just to learn the basics of knightly duties. Thereafter, the Lord of Winterfell tested his battle prowess - with different weaponry - and against multitude of Castle guards and some Winterfell knights just to prove that Steve was a man worthy of a knightly title. No one would question the Lord's decision on the matter at all after Steve Rogers defeated most of his challengers. If they dared question Steve's new title, they would have to ask the Lord of Winterfell and those who fought Steve.

Thus, Steve gained a knightly title before the Tourney, which he earned with respect and Lord Rickards blessing. It's only a few days before they leave for Harrenhal, when it was announced to the Northern party about Steve's new title and it seemed most reacted favorably to the news. The people of House Stark already suspected that Steve was someone noteworthy and honorable in his homeland that no one dared question Lord Stark's decision for giving him the title.

Even though most assumed that Steve was going to work as a sworn shield for an indefinite time. However, no one knew about Steve's and Lord Rickard's condition on the matter. The two men had agreed that Steve would work as Lyanna's sworn shield for six months or lesser than that while Lord Stark had been adamant to keep this condition between them. Since what Steve was asking was highly unusual and some people might even question Lord Stark's decision in hiring someone who only planned to work for less than six months, the Lord of Winterfell wanted to keep their negotiation a secret, until the time Steve Rogers was ready to leave House Stark's service. So mentioning Steve's brief contract to anyone would prove unfavorable to both of them, most certainly when Steve just recently received his knightly status.

Despite Steve's intent to serve in a short period of time, the Lord of Winterfell was a generous and good man. Other than having him knighted by a Winterfell knight and giving him his blessing, Lord Rickard had easily given him the recommendation letter for the Citadel visit and had constantly advice Steve on matters that might help with his situation. The older man was the one who advised him to join the Tourney for the chance of earning more money that Steve could use for his future travels and the Citadel entrance fee. This would also mean that Steve won't need to stay for six months of service for the wage that he intended to save. If Steve won the Melee fight and the jousting, Lord Stark had pointed out that Steve might only need to work for two to three months after acquiring the monetary reward.

Steve, of course, had already considered joining the Tourney before Lord Stark's advice. Since he knew that if intended to travel in search for his way back home, he won't be able to avoid encountering certain malicious individuals who would do him harm. For this reason, he wanted to join the Melee with the intent to first gauge and test the people's fighting style in this time period to get a better idea of what he was about to expect in a real fight with deadly opponents in his future travel, and perhaps improve and adjust his martial skills ahead of time to counter his adversaries moves with either his shield or a sword. Other than that, he wanted to see what a Melee fight was like and he was curious to see how he would face multiple seasoned fighters all at once who were using medieval weapons. This was certainly something he hadn't experienced before during his time.

As for the jousting part of the Tourney, Steve realized that he wouldn't mind learning more about handling a lance in a joust, which was another skill he could add to his expansive repertoire. However, he was mostly interested in the jousting because of the reward at the end of it. He still needed the money for the entrance fee to the Citadel's general library. Hence, he didn't hesitate when he signed up in the list for the Tourney for these reasons alone.

The other thing that Lord Stark advised him was to not only carry his shield, but a sword as well just to keep up with appearance and blend in well with other notable warriors. Steve understood that most of House Stark's household already accepted his strange abilities and his mannerism, where majority of them had dismissed his oddity because of his foreign origin. Nonetheless, Steve knew that many of the outsiders would question his methods and would probably challenge him if he only brought a shield as his weapon. And despite being good in hand-to-hand combat and wielding his shield, he also realized that he might require a lethal approach in facing far more dangerous enemies in this world once he started travelling. So Steve Rogers had started carrying a sword at his hip to avoid unwanted questions. Although he would probably used a sword or other lethal weapons as a last resort if it came to that.

As Steve Rogers thought back all those weeks ago when he first regained consciousness, he was grateful that he had not acted foolishly when he was making his decision regarding his situation. If someone else would have ended up in his shoes, he was certain that they would have given up their search on the Wolfswood and began their search elsewhere at once, perhaps in other places like the Citadel or other magical places without even planning ahead or considering things first hand, like the money, important documentation or supplies, which were all vital things for travel and gaining access to an exclusive place, such as the Citadel.

Steve could just imagine some fool travelling to certain places without acquiring these and simply start taking odd jobs here and there but only to be denied by most people because of suspicion. After all, this world was teeming with cutthroats, hired mercenaries, thieves and bandits on the road that the common people would certainly be ambiguous about hiring a passing traveler. This was not the '60's in America where anyone could travel across the country and earn money doing odd jobs like the good old days. This was a world where the Mountain Clans, or the Cannibals and the Wildlings Beyond-the-Wall exist. Only a fool would assume that this world was the same one as Steve's own world, and Steve was no fool.

After the Tourney, Steve decided that he would continue with his investigation on the Wolfswood while he saved more money and acquire supplies for his future travels. Once he accomplished that, he had every intention to leave Lord Stark's service and search for a way back home. He could only hope that he won't be too late when he got back to his own world.


End file.
